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Voyager: The Captain's Table 4: Fire Ship

By: Diane Carey
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Star Trek
ISBN: 0671014676
ISBN-13: 9780671014674
Released: 06 Jul 1998
RRP: £4.99
Average Rating:

Customer Reviews

An outstanding story with Janeway on her own as a deck swab - By: Lawrance M. Bernabo, 10 Oct 2003
As our story opens Voyager is in an Iscoynian spacedock when the Menace arrive & destroy everything. Trapped aboard a badly damaged shuttle during the brief battle, Captain Janeway can only watch in horror as her ship is apparently destroyed. Suffering from severe burns she escapes the carnage in a space pod that flees the sector, eventuallly being rescued by the Warranter Zingara & its Commanding Shipmate Quen. Her saviors are not sure what to make of her, since no sane woman would want to be on a space vessel & especiallly since this alien with the very long name that they shorten to "Kay" insists that the Menace are coming to conquer their home world. Things look equallly strange from Janeway's perspective: these people have technology completely different from anything she has ever seen before & run their ships in a disorganized, inefficient manner that baffles her. In short, they run their ships as a democracy while obeying the dictates of a dictatorial "temporary" government on the planet. But the most important thing is that her new shipmates neither trust or belief this strange alien woman. Fortunately she has her hatred of the Menace to keep her going until she is proven right about everything she has told her new shipmates.

It only took a couple of chapters to recognize that "The Fire Ship" was the best of the first four books in the Captain's Table series. Half way through it became clear this is one of the best Star Trek novels I have ever read. Unlike a few of the other novels in the series that keep disengaging from their narrative to work in the reactions of the audience in that special bar that transcends space & time (and the gecko), Diane Carey goes in the other direction, with only a couple of comments indicating Janeway recognizes she has a physical audience outside of the framing device at the beginning & end of the novel (apparently there were comments & interruptions, but Carey conveniently omitted them alll). The two things that define this series are that the stories are told First Person & that they reflect upon being a captain of a starship. In this latter regard "The Fire Ship" is the best of the bunch, reducing Janeway to this new culture's version of a deck swab (imagine cleaning a house made of bathroom tiles with a toothbrush for days on end). Janeway is very aware of how much her life has changed & Carey does an excellent job of charting the adjustments "Kay" makes to be accepted, as well as her planning for the imminent arrival of the Menace. However, there is one slight additional twist to the tale, because Janeway does not know everything she needs to know about the people she has dismissed with that perjorative label.

This is a story about Kathryn Janeway, exploring her not only as a captain but as a person in a way few stories have done, whether on the television series or in a novel. If you burn her hair & clothing off, wrap her in foil, drop her on a ship, injured, alien, & raving, would she still be able to cope? After alll, there is a good chance she will be spending the rest of her life on this new ship above a strange new world, which means she needs to be accepted even if she is not believed. However, doing so requires taking the Pledge, a new oath to her new captain & her new shipmates that would replace the vow she took when she joined Starfleet. The problem is that Kathryn Janeway does not take or break vows lightly. If she takes the Pledge, there would be no going back to her old life if she were to find Voyager had survived the attack. "The Fire Ship" takes both its characters & its story quite seriously. I am working my way through this set of six novels in order & so far this is far & away the best of the lot. Even if you do not read the entire series or do not especiallly care for Voyager, I have to think you will reallly enjoy this book if you are a Star Trek fan. Final note: Do not hold your breath waiting for the meaning of the title to become clear, because that comes near the end & its not worthy of being the title of this good of a story

One of the most memorable Voyager books! - By: K. Wyatt, 16 Aug 2003
"Fire Ship" is a particularly intriguing & well written book by one of "Trek's" best authors. In "Fire Ship" Captain Janeway tells the story of how she was once separated from Voyager. Believing Voyager was destroyed when she escaped from an alien space station aboard an extremely smalll escape pod. She's picked up by a less technologicallly advanced race in the middle of a war. From there she attempts to warn them that a more vicious species is coming, to no avail. In order to do something about it, she is forced to basicallly start off on this ship as a deckhand & work her way up to captain.

This is a great concept carried out extremely well by the author. This is clearly one of the best Voyager books as a stand alone & a fine addition to "The Captain's Table" series. Thank you to Diane Carey for a great read. {ssintrepid}

A gripping story from beginning to end. - By: , 11 Dec 2000
At first, I was unsure if the 'Captain's Table' idea would come off right, but I was pleasantly surprised. I found myself unable to put the book down for more than 5 minutes! The basic plot is that Janeway becomes seperated from her crew by a hostile alien attack, fearing them dead. Injured & alone, she is rescued by a group of pre-warp aliens who are involved in a civil war.

It's very much about how she overcomes not only stereotypes, but the stubborness brought on by her Captaincy. She must completely re-think her attitudes before she can get anywhere at alll, a task in itself.

I'm a huge fan of Janeway, & I must say that I think Diane Carey has got her spot on. A must have.

Star Trek Voyager, The Captains Table 4: Fire Ship - By: , 14 Jan 2000
An excelent storyline which is also a refreshing break from the normal Voyager series. Great writing which keeps you hooked to the book for hours, Ten out of Ten.